Staple removers for removing whole and unbroken staples are widely utilized. Most commonly, such staple removers include a pair of opposed, confronting wedge-shaped cams, which are mounted respectively on a pair of pivotably related arms, adapted to be inserted from opposite sides between the crown of the staple and the top sheet of the stapled material.
In operation of such staple removers, the cams are driven together by relative movement of the arms such that the staple is withdrawn by the wedging action of the cams. This type of staple remover requires, for its efficient operation, that both ends of the staple crown be secured to the paper layers by the crown's associated leg, and that the legs pull free of the layers substantially simultaneously. If the staple wire should break, or be cut between the wedge cams by faulty manipulation of the staple remover, or if one leg of the staple should pull free before the other, the result is that the staple wire is still secured at one end in the paper layers, with a raw end projecting upwardly therefrom. Existing staple removers are ineffective to remove such wire fragments. Manual removal of these wire fragments is difficult, often requiring manipulation by the fingers of a person which may result in finger piercing and broken fingernails caused by the staple wire fragment. It is also extremely difficult to remove partially removed staples which are formed of heavier gauge wire and which are utilized for joining thick layers of material. It is further difficult to remove staples which have been automatically inserted by power driven staplers.
A need has thus arisen for an improved staple remover for the removing of broken or partially removed staples to avoid manual removal of the staple. A need has further arisen for a staple remover that is easy to operate, maintenance free and can be used in combination with presently available staple removers.